Something New
by T2 Angel
Summary: After an attack on a HYDRA base goes awry, Natasha stays by Steve's bedside while he recovers. What comes next enters uncharted territory for both of these warriors. Romanogers. One-Shot.


They didn't even see it coming.

It was becoming typical at this point. Taking on the last remnants of HYDRA or anyone who wanted to step in and try to fill their shoes.

That was the job. It was dangerous. They all knew that, though it still felt routine.

But one regretfully, well-placed trap reminded them how the real the danger was.

Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon had a stormed a HYDRA base down in New Orleans. A dangerous base but nothing they hadn't dealt with before. Steve, Natasha, and Sam had taken down most of the soldiers in the building, leaving a few and the base's commander.

Steve rushed in first, chasing down the HYDRA commander.

Natasha saw Steve run after the commander, but it was too late to warn him about the booby trap she just managed to catch sight of.

Natasha screamed Steve's name.

It wasn't soon enough to prevent a deafening explosion from going off. The explosion threw Natasha back and she couldn't see Steve at all. She started panicking. For one of the few times in her life, she felt she couldn't breathe. She rushed toward the area of the explosion and searches under the rubble.

She found Steve, burned and bruised. She felt like she wanted to cry but she wouldn't let herself. Time for that would be later. Right now, she had to save his life.

She moved all of the rubble off of him, Sam arrived to help, and they called in a transport to get Steve out of the HYDRA base.

They got him to a hospital, Natasha walking alongside the gurney as the staff wheeled Steve toward surgery. She was holding his hand all the while.

She saw that Steve was speaking.

"Steve…" Natasha whispered.

"Captain," the doctor said. "Captain, can you hear me?"

Steve started mouthed something.

Natasha read his lips. She gasped.

The machines started to beep faster.

"His pulse is slowing!" another doctor said.

"Let's get him into surgery!" the first doctor shouted.

They rushed him through the door, Natasha holding Steve's hand until the last possible moment. She stood, blank-faced, as the surgery doors closed.

The next few hours were excruciating but worth it when the doctors revealed that Steve was in recovery.

Natasha and Sam were standing outside of Steve's recovery room, staring at him as he slept. Natasha hadn't really let out a sigh of relief. It was something about seeing Steve lying in a hospital bed in a miserable condition that gave her no reason to relax or feel remotely better.

Sam exhaled. "Well, at least, he'll be okay."

"Yeah," Natasha said, absentmindedly.

Sam looked at her, "You wanna go see him?"

She nodded. She opened the door and walked in. She closed the door, went over, and stood over Steve, moving a strand of his hair out of his face.

"It's alright, Steve," Natasha whispered. "I'll take care of you."

The next couple of days were spent with Natasha at the hospital. Sam would visit every day but Natasha never left.

She refused to leave until Steve woke up.

Late one night, Natasha fell asleep in the chair by Steve's bedside. So deep was her rest that she nearly fell out of her chair, jolting her awake.

She rubbed her eyes then looked at Steve as he slept. "Well, this is new. But… it's a new that means something." She sighed. "It's… worth it."

The next day, Natasha was reading next to Steve's bed when she heard groaning. She looked over at Steve, who was starting to move around. Natasha let out a quiet sigh of relief, setting her book aside.

Steve looked over at her. He wanted to smile but all of him still hurt. "I half expected to see Sam sitting there."

"He's been by plenty," Natasha said. "But looking over you is my job."

"Thanks."

"Don't need that. But you need to be more careful."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Hold on," she said. "I'll get you a nurse." She walked to the door and started to open it.

"Natasha," he called out.

She stopped.

"What I said… when I was fading in out."

She tried to find the right words to say. "We don't have to talk about that right now."

"No, listen, just… what I said…" He sat up a bit and took a deep breath. "I said… I love you, Natasha."

There it was. She knew it. She could read his lips when he was fading. She almost heard it in his voice before now, on all the dates they went on. Even during missions, where it was absolutely inappropriate for them to be flirting, but they did it anyway. Now, she had to face it.

Natasha closed the door back. She turned to him and leaned against the door. She stared at him in silence then whispered, "I love you, too."

Steve stared at her, positive he heard that wrong. He expected to say it and have her take a while to say it back, if she ever did. He didn't expect her to reply so soon. And, certainly, not like that.

"I hate to admit this but… despite all this… progress we made in our relationship, I was…" She stopped. "…I was afraid to admit that, especially to be the first to say."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because… admitting that… makes me vulnerable. It gives me a weakness."

"Dating me to begin with didn't do that?"

"It did," she admitted. "But… loving you… gives me a greater weakness because… there's so little I wouldn't do you for you, Steve."

"I feel the same."

"And that scares me. There's a line for everyone I know. Things I wouldn't do. For Fury, for Tony. But, you… short of… saving innocent lives, I can't think of anything."

"I'd want you to save innocent people over me," he said.

"I know." She smiled a bit. "It's one of the things I love about you, to be honest." She walked toward him, "I can't… stop myself from how I feel." She sat down on his bed. "I don't… _want_ to stop how I feel." She gazed into his eyes. "Weakness or not… I accept it. I want it. I love you, Steve."

"I love you, Nat."

She smiled. "And the second you're healed up, I'm kissing you."

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," he replied.

She giggled, softly. "You know when Tony finds out we said _any_ this…"

"Yeah, I know," he sighed, exasperatedly. He stared into her eyes. "But… it'll be worth it."

"Yeah. It will be. It is."


End file.
